Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera

A Splendid View of Larmor Q

LROC NAC view of the south wall and rim of splendiferous Larmor Q crater, looking obliquely east-to-west from an altitude of 60 km; image M174081337 [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Larmor Q is sub-circular crater, whose diameter is 23 km measured north to south and 19 km measured east to west. But Larmor Q is not just another stunning crater; it is also scientifically interesting, too! Oblique images, like the one below, provide a unique vantage point that can help with geologic interpretation.

Oblique view (reduced for web-browsing) of Larmor Q crater, looking east-to-west. The crater is wider in the north-south direction than in the east-west direction. Click for larger image [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

One of the most obvious features of Larmor Q is the large accumulation of slumped wall materials inside the crater. This crater is a transitional morphology between smaller simple craters like this one and larger, complex craters like Tycho or Copernicus. The crater Giordano Bruno (21 km in diameter) is another example of a transitional crater. Wall slumping in transitional craters affects the final crater shape. When the northern wall of Larmor Q failed, the northern rim crest of the crater moved outward, contributing to the larger crater diameter in the north-south direction.

Prominent features of Larmor Q include slumped wall material and impact melt deposits; located at 176.313°E, 28.634°N [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

This oblique image of Larmor Q is also useful for studying the distribution of impact melt, which, in turn, can tell us how impact melt is generated and interacts with the forming crater. In Larmor Q, most of the impact melt rock is located inside the crater opposite the largest slumped materials.

View of impact melt deposits inside Larmor Q. The melt has splashed up the southern wall (left) and ponded in the floor of the crater (center of image)[NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

There are also several relatively small deposits (flows) of impact melt rock on the crater rim. Because the largest concentration of impact melt occurs opposite the largest slumped materials, we infer that the melt “splashed” up on the southern wall primarily as a result of the slumped material impinging on the crater floor.

Flows of impact melt on the rim of Larmor Q crater now solidified into lobate deposits [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

The full resolution oblique view of Larmor Q crater contains more fascinating clues of the impact cratering process.

Related Featured Images:

Dense Fractures on the Floor of Larmor Q

The View Inside of a Tilted Crater

Very Oblique View of Giordano Bruno

Ryder Spectacular!

Sunset Over Giordano Bruno

Necho's Jumbled Floor

View from the Other Side


Back to Images